Aviva Premiership Round Three

by **Ozzy3213** Tue 16 Sep 2014, 8:07 am

First topic message reminder :

So round two carried on pretty much were round one left of, with a couple of on-sided high scorers, and the rest of the games hard fought encounters with plenty for both partisan and neutral fans to enjoy. On Friday night a ruthless Saracens outfit clinically put Harlequins away, leaving Conor O'Shea and co with much to do before this weeks fixtures rolls around. First up on Saturday was the throwaround down at The Rec, where Bath ran in seven tries, and despite losing by over 20 points Welsh managed four of their own to pick up a try bonus point. Gloucester showed the good and the bad of what they've got, all within 80 minutes. Being well behind to a Danny Cipriani inspired Sale at half time they stormed back in the second half to earn themselves the win, with Steve Diamonds men doing enough to stay within seven points and score four tries to pick up two point son their travels. Saturdays final game was even further down in the West country, where Exeter fought hard but ultimately fell short against a Tigers outfit, who whilst not yet quite at their best picked up their second win in the opening two rounds. Sunday saw the biggest surprise of the round, where Wasps held free scoring Saints tryless in the first half before pouncing to score two tries in a minute themselves to pick up what could be a crucial win for them. In the weekends final fixture London Irish travelled to Kingston Park and returned south with a win and four point from a hard fought encounter with Newcastle Falcons.

Prediction wise, I got 4 out of 6 again this week, although it wasn't my boys who let me down this time, it was the jokers from the The Stoop and the Sinners, although I would be amazed if many people had tipped Wasps to win that one. Anyway, here's the table after round two;-

*Pos*	*Team*	P	W	D	L	F	A	PD	TF	TA	*TBP*	*LBP*	*PTS*
1.	Saracens	2	2	0	0	73	28	+45	7	3	1	0	9
2.	Bath Rugby	2	2	0	0	82	46	+36	9	6	1	0	9
3.	Leicester Tigers	2	2	0	0	60	37	+23	6	4	1	0	9
4.	Exeter Chiefs	2	1	0	1	72	24	+48	9	2	1	1	6
5.	Northampton Saints	2	1	0	1	69	26	+43	9	2	1	1	6
6.	Wasps	2	1	0	1	48	50	-2	5	5	0	1	5
7.	London Irish	2	1	0	1	35	38	-3	2	5	0	1	5
8.	Harlequins	2	1	0	1	20	54	-34	2	3	0	0	4
9.	Gloucester	2	1	0	1	40	80	-40	3	12	0	0	4
10.	Sale Sharks	2	0	0	2	47	63	-16	6	5	1	1	2
11.	Newcastle Falcons	2	0	0	2	35	56	-21	5	6	0	1	1
12.	London Welsh	2	0	0	2	26	105	-79	4	14	1	0	1

So on to this weeks fixtures, and here they are:

Friday 19th September 2014 19:45 Gloucester vs. Exeter Chiefs

An interesting and tough to call game first up this weekend. Gloucester will be buoyed by their win over Sale and at home again this week will want to put in a performance that matches their second half one last week. The Chiefs, although beaten, were well in the game against Tigers and I think will go to Kingsholm confident of getting a result. Both teams are likely to finish in that middle of the table group from around 6th to 10th, so points earned from this sort of game will be key to deciding the finishing order. Kingsholm is always a tough place to go though and I can see Gloucester squeaking home again in this one, with the Chiefs picking up another losing bonus point.

Saturday 20th September 2014 14:00 Sale Sharks vs. London Welsh

The last time Welsh were in the Premiership, they lost their first two games and went to Sale Sharks in round three and promptly picked up their first win of the campaign. Both of these sides are winless so far this season, and will be desperate to get of the mark in this fixture. Welsh will need to tighten up in defence considerably if they are to get anything, having conceded 14 tries and over 100 points already. Sale showed against Gloucester that they have not become a bad side overnight, and if Danny Cipriani performs as he did last week they will have too much for Welsh this time around. I've got this down as five points for Sale and Welsh heading home with nothing.

Saturday 20th September 2014 15:00 Harlequins vs. Wasps

Quins would say they have genuine ambitions to finish in the top 4 this season, and having played two of last seasons top 4 so far this term and not been outclassed, Wasps have to be aiming to break into that group as well. If they're going to, this is precisely the sort of game they need to win, and potentially stop their rivals from picking up any points against them. Quins will have a point to prove though, and will be wounded by what happened on Friday night. Their attacking game needs to click, as Wasps will score points against them and they will need to ensure that they aren't leaving three pointers out there as they have been. This I think will be a real ding dong affair with the lead changing hands a couple of times, but I'm backing Quins to bounce back and pinch it, with Wasps picking up a losing bonus point.

Saturday 20th September 2014 15:00 London Irish vs. Saracens

On paper this is a comfortable away win. Saracens haven't hit top gear yet, despite what the scoreline against Quins may suggest, and are two from two. Irish won ugly on Sunday, and will take some confidence from getting off the mark with that win. To stand any chance in this one Irish will need to counter the driving maul better than they did on Sunday, and will need the scrum to go well as it has done in their two games so far. Irish have won 2 of the last 3 fixtures between the sides, so will take confidence from that. As you can probably tell I am searching for crumbs of comfort here, but the reality is that the head says Saracens comfortably, the heart says we'll dig one out again and sneak the win.

Saturday 20th September 2014 15:15 Bath Rugby vs. Leicester Tigers

Two of the three teams with 100% records go head to head in Saturdays televised fixture. Both have genuine title ambitions, and both will want to lay down a marker here in their first big test of the season. Bath will need to be tighter defensively than they were against Welsh, although it's hard to imagine that they won't be as it looked like they just switched off with the game already won. Tigers haven't hit top gear yet, and will be looking to go up a notch in this one, but are missing a few key guys in the pack, which is where the strength of this Bath team is. This will be a right old battle, and I'm tipping Bath top hold their nerve at home and come through for the win. Losing bonus point for the Tigers.

Sunday 21st September 2014 14:00 Newcastle Falcons vs. Northampton Saints

As with last week the round winds up at Kingston Park. Falcons could have done with an easier game here, but instead face a wounded Northampton saints who you suspect will have a point to prove this weekend. It's one of those games though, where Newcastle have nothing to lose, as there is no weight of expectation on them to get anything here and they could well throw the shackles of and spring a surprise. They will need to get their team selection right though, and tactics, and I still have a question mark over Dean Richards and whether his tactics and selection are what is holding them back. I want to be brave and go with the upset here, but I also want to be right, so am going with the odds and predicting a try bonus point win for Saints.

Ozzy's predicited table after round three:

Saracens 14, Bath Rugby 13, Northampton Saints 11, Leicester Tigers 10, Harlequins 8, Gloucester 8, Exeter Chiefs 7, Sale Sharks 7, Wasps 6, London Irish 5, Newcastle Falcons 1, London Welsh 1.

by Geordie Sat 20 Sep 2014, 12:02 pm

Some of the changes GF etc have been demanding. Brookes at LH suggests injury woes while Fury on bench will induce palpitations in Falcons fans.

Yes very True LT. I guess we'll see if my hopes were right or not. Its difficult to test against Saints really....this is more like the side that should have gone out against Irish. If we take a tonking...then ill hope my hands up and say we're sh*^e

Brookes at LH is because Fry is utter pants and Vickers is injured still. Scott Wilson is better than Tomas, but will probably be in for a hard day at the office.

Shame Sinoti is slightly injured...im not happy with Cato.

Still expecting a defeat but I like to think it'll not as heavy as it could be and we'll give them a reasonable game.

by HongKongCherry Sat 20 Sep 2014, 12:02 pm

formerly known as Sam wrote:He was composed but not particularly creative. Kicked well off the tee but young Robson seemed to add more impetus when came on. I would be surprised to see Laidlaw move to 10 and Hook to further out in the backline.

Laidlaw was poor from the tee. He got 1 out of 3 and missed an absolute sitter. The rest of his game was OK, but given he played behind a malfunctioning set piece its no surprise.

Hook won't move out any time soon. He was signed as a 10 and will be given time to find his feet. As per Laidlaw he was far better behind the pack last week, which truly shows how invaluable Afoa is to us.

In the cold light of day I am disappointed in the result, but I also feel we're ahead of where I thought we'd be after 3 games.

by formerly known as Sam Sat 20 Sep 2014, 12:03 pm

Slade was excellent last night. He's gone from being a good player last season to an exceptional one this season. Hill is coming to life as well showing some really nice running lines. At this rare Exeter will be fielding an all academy graduate backline.

Thought that the Chiefs backline had a nice balance to it with Ewers really showing up well at 6.

by **Ozzy3213** Sat 20 Sep 2014, 1:48 pm

Slade is going to be a fantastic player. Getting game time in the centres will also help him when he moves back in to the 10 jersey. I think he will be a better player than Farrell, Burns and Ford long term and will be the England starting 10 in plenty of time for the 2019 World Cup.

by thewaspsblog Sat 20 Sep 2014, 2:25 pm

Looking forward to the Wasps vs Quins match shortly. Think we have a good shout of taking the four points today. Only concerns are on the bench with Smashley Johnson covering hooker and Rob Miller covering 10. Injury issues so early in the season

by Sgt_Pooly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 2:31 pm

I can see an axis of Farrell/Slade turning out for England. Slade has developed a nice running game and has a good all round skill set. He's not quite there yet but he's developing at a rapid rate.

by Welly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 3:19 pm

So with allen and Manu out. Smith and Williams in.

And I think Morris out with Scully,

Big bath win then.

by Mad for Chelsea Sat 20 Sep 2014, 3:26 pm

well-worked try from Bath there. Good to see Attwood with a meaty carry to really put the defense on the back foot.

by Mad for Chelsea Sat 20 Sep 2014, 3:29 pm

Bananaman

by Mad for Chelsea Sat 20 Sep 2014, 3:36 pm

Bath pack on top, and Ford Eastmond and Joseph bossing the game on the front foot. Bath with another try.

by Sgt_Pooly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 3:46 pm

Bath pretty commanding so far. How did Banahan ever make the England side???

by Cumbrian Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:01 pm

Ford has looked very good in this game.

by **Rugby Fan** Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:06 pm

Leicester not in this game at all. Bit disappointing as a contest so far, although it's interesting to see Bath looking so smooth. Odd how when Banahan gets the ball, you instinctively feel the move will break down.

by Welly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:08 pm

No surprise looking at The teams TBh.

Pohe should come on soon to add some punch in the midfield which we lack.

by Guest Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:12 pm

Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:Bath to win by 20.

I've got to stop being so optimistic. Bath to win by a bigger margin than Sale - Welsh.

by Cumbrian Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:22 pm

It seems to lack a little ambition to kick for the sticks when you are 23-0 up and have the opposition on toast.

by Cumbrian Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:25 pm

Now that is what I call ambition!

by ChequeredJersey Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:31 pm

Even if we lose, I am so glad that we demonstrated that we can still attack in the second half

by Welly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:40 pm

Harlequins are so rubbish Wink

by Sgt_Pooly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:41 pm

You can tell Croft is back, Tigers have an extra winger.

by Welly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:55 pm

BS call honestly we can get a TBP

by sad_gimp Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:56 pm

Quins hang on to beat Wasps. Be interested to see it tomorrow, well done lads, good comeback!

by ChequeredJersey Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:58 pm

I'll take that win. Well played wasps. Only got out if work for the second half but seems like that's a good thing

by HammerofThunor Sat 20 Sep 2014, 4:58 pm

Holy hammering, batman.45-0 Shocked

by Welly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 5:02 pm

Another BS call.

Honestly the ref has cost us this game.

Wink

by Cumbrian Sat 20 Sep 2014, 5:02 pm

Never a red card, ridiculous decision.

by Hound of Harrow Sat 20 Sep 2014, 5:26 pm

Watched Ealing v Blaydon today (36-7 to Eas, sorry GF) and caught the last 25 mins of Bath v Tigers. Mele's red was fully deserved imo.

One or two stamps on the arm may have merited yellow, but FOUR goes at it!

by Bathman_in_London Sat 20 Sep 2014, 5:29 pm

Wow, never thought I'd see Leicester nilled by anyone, unbelievable.

by sad_gimp Sat 20 Sep 2014, 5:33 pm

Everyone knows stamping/rucking hasn't been allowed for years. Pretty blatant, a bit on the harsh side showing a red but understandable.

Oh and thanks Leicester for making me feel a bit better about the result last week Smile

When do Sarries and Bath first meet?

by ChequeredJersey Sat 20 Sep 2014, 5:33 pm

Tigers have taken the "anything Quins can do we can do better approach". This week's challenge was getting nilled and owned at the scrum

by quinsforever Sat 20 Sep 2014, 5:42 pm

Favourite part of the bath match - Healey's outraged 1-eyed commentary. Comedy stuff.

by Welly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 5:49 pm

ChequeredJersey wrote:Tigers have taken the "anything Quins can do we can do better approach". This week's challenge was getting nilled and owned at the scrum

Nah I rather get nilled by that margin away from home than lose by your margin at home.

Healey wasn't that one eyed I thought.

by stnick88 Sat 20 Sep 2014, 6:09 pm

Gutted to lose that. But definitely would have taken 2 LBP before the game.

by **Ozzy3213** Sat 20 Sep 2014, 6:35 pm

Likewise nick. Gutting to outscore Saracens 4 tries to 3 and not win. Wasn't able to get to the game so will have to watch when it's on the AP website but from what I gather there were plenty of positives for us to take from the game.

by **Ozzy3213** Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:05 pm

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/sep/20/london-irish-saracens-premiership-match-report

Sounds like I missed a really good game! Sad

by **LondonTiger** Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:15 pm

We are officially worse than London Welsh.

so glad i was out with my daughters for the day - can pretend it never happened.

by Welly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:25 pm

LondonTiger wrote:We are officially worse than London Welsh.

so glad i was out with my daughters for the day - can pretend it never happened.

Not really we beat Exeter who beat Welsh by 50 + points, who also beat Glous, who beat sale who also beat Welsh again. so swings and roundabouts.

by Heaf Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:36 pm

Ozzy3213 wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/sep/20/london-irish-saracens-premiership-match-report

Sounds like I missed a really good game!

Ozzy, yep a very good game apart from Mr Pearce who was truly shocking ... I know it's not fashionable to blame the ref but today I do believe he cost us the game

by **LondonTiger** Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:41 pm

Heaf wrote:
Ozzy3213 wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/sep/20/london-irish-saracens-premiership-match-report

Sounds like I missed a really good game!

Ozzy, yep a very good game apart from Mr Pearce who was truly shocking ... I know it's not fashionable to blame the ref but today I do believe he cost us the game

A wise man, last week stated that the scoreboard does not lie.

by **Ozzy3213** Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:48 pm

LondonTiger wrote:
Heaf wrote:
Ozzy3213 wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/sep/20/london-irish-saracens-premiership-match-report

Sounds like I missed a really good game!

Ozzy, yep a very good game apart from Mr Pearce who was truly shocking ... I know it's not fashionable to blame the ref but today I do believe he cost us the game

A wise man, last week stated that the scoreboard does not lie.

I can't comment on this as I wasn't there, but just to add that I stand by what I said. Gutted to lose this one though, as by all accounts it was our besg performance of the season so far. Havi g said that if you'd offered me two points this morning I'd have bitten your hand off.

by Heaf Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:50 pm

The scoreboard is correct LT - Sarries won ... I just happen to believe but for some truly dire refereeing they wouldn't have. For example - if a team tries a catch & drive line-out and gets a player in front of the ball carrier and the other team doesn't engage then surely the sanction is a penalty for obstruction/offside? Not according to Mr Pearce, it's accidental and therefore a scrum ...

by Sgt_Pooly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:54 pm

Spirited fightback from Irish, I thought they'd get pumped after seeing them last week. Getting 2pts against a top Sarries side is nothing to be ashamed of, I'd happily take that tomorrow.

by Heaf Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:57 pm

Heaf wrote:The scoreboard is correct LT - Sarries won ... I just happen to believe but for some truly dire refereeing they wouldn't have. For example - if a team tries a catch & drive line-out and gets a player in front of the ball carrier and the other team doesn't engage then surely the sanction is a penalty for obstruction/offside? Not according to Mr Pearce, it's accidental and therefore a scrum ...

I should also add the Sarries fans sat next to us said they didn't deserve to win but were helped by the ref - they could have been being magnanimous of course, but I don't think so.

by Heaf Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:58 pm

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Spirited fightback from Irish, I thought they'd get pumped after seeing them last week. Getting 2pts against a top Sarries side is nothing to be ashamed of, I'd happily take that tomorrow.

I would have Sgt before the match but it's annoying when I think we should have had 5 ...

by **Ozzy3213** Sat 20 Sep 2014, 7:58 pm

Sounds like it was a real see-saw game. We were 7-20 down, then got back to 19-20, the they got a penalty to go in 19-23 at the break. Then we went 29-23 up before they levelled, then we went 32-29 up before they got the last minute try. Driving maul again. I said after last week that our defence of that particular play needed to be better or it would cost us against the top sides, and so it has been proved.

by formerly known as Sam Sat 20 Sep 2014, 8:07 pm

Watching the game on record and it looks like the Tigers boys were out on the pi$$ last night. We never get a decision out of Barnes but the error count and the lack of any structure in defence was just woeful.

Glad I went to play for my team as opposed to staying in and watch this.

by Heaf Sat 20 Sep 2014, 8:12 pm

Ozzy3213 wrote:Sounds like it was a real see-saw game. We were 7-20 down, then got back to 19-20, the they got a penalty to go in 19-23 at the break. Then we went 29-23 up before they levelled, then we went 32-29 up before they got the last minute try. Driving maul again. I said after last week that our defence of that particular play needed to be better or it would cost us against the top sides, and so it has been proved.

Agreed - but the thing is we never should have been in that position ...should have been a penalty to LI at the previous line-out for obstruction (not a scrum for 'accidental') and the penalty to Sarries from that scrum was also highly dubious ...

by stnick88 Sat 20 Sep 2014, 9:33 pm

Pearce wasnt great but he didnt cost us the game. Couple iffy decisions at the end leading to their try i would need to see again before commenting on properly. We were excellent though. Geraghty was outstanding at 12 again and lewingtons tries were all excellent, might change your opinion on him pooly Smile

. Vunipola is just a monster though.

by Heaf Sat 20 Sep 2014, 9:47 pm

Sorry stnick have to agree to disagree on that ...

by Welly Sat 20 Sep 2014, 9:56 pm

When the last time the AP has had this many teams on 0 at the end of the game. Glous, Welsh, Quins, tigers in 2 rounds.

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